You pull into the staging area at the local launch to prepare your jet ski for the water. You have a big day of fishing planned, and it’s time to get ready for action. After loading everything, you go for the dry start to check that the engine is in working order.
You insert the key in the ignition, give it a turn, and nothing. It’s dead, not so much as a click. That’s great; you have a dead battery. Now what? Can you jumpstart a jet ski? A friend has a set of jumper cables with them, so should you give it a go?
The answer is no, and for several reasons. Sure, if you’re stuck out on the water, jumpstarting the ski could be the difference between getting home and calling for a rescue. However, never risk a jump start in situations where the battery is dead before you get on the water.
We’ll explain why jump starts are risky and why you should avoid them. This post gives you everything you need to know about jumping a jet ski.
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Is it Possible to Jump Start a Jet Ski?
If you’re in an emergency situation, you can give a jump start a try. However, it’s not recommended if you have a dead or dying battery.
Jump starting the jet ski risks overloading and damaging the electronics, sensors, and gauges in the electrical system.
There could be several reasons why the jet ski fails to start. While the battery is usually the leading cause, it could also be the starter relay or something else. It’s important to keep to the maintenance schedule set by the dealer and service your jet ski regularly to avoid problems.
However, sometimes, the battery drains for another reason, such as a fault in the system, or it’s just a bad battery with faulty cells.
If you need a jumpstart, you can give it a try, but you have to know the risks you assume with this activity. In general, we recommend avoiding it, but if you need it in a clutch, it’s similar to jumpstarting your care (more on that later).
What You Need to Know about Jump Starting Your Jet Ski
When you’re jump starting the jet ski from another battery, it’s vital to remember to use batteries with the same amperage.
Both batteries could be 12-volt, but if one has a higher amperage, it dumps the charge into the smaller battery, shorting out the electrical system in the other PWC.
In some cases, the smaller amperage battery may even explode, throwing debris around and causing severe injuries to people nearby. If there are any lingering fuel vapors, the explosion could cause ignition of the vapors and a bigger explosion or fire hazard.
If you’re in the staging area or the dock, don’t risk the jump start. Even if you get out of the marina, what happens if the engine cuts out on your or your stall when you’re out on the water? It’s better to remove the battery and buy a new one or hook it up to a charger to see if it’s rechargeable or completely dead.
Can I Use My Car or Another Boat to Jump Start My Jet Ski?
We strongly advise against jump starting your jet ski with another PWC, boat, or a car. It’s surprising how many people at the lake choose to jump their jet skis using other PWCs or vehicles.
We already discussed the electrical issues involved with overloading a battery and the electrical circuits in your car.
You could end up blowing all the electronics in your car and the WC. Then, how are you going to get home? Fortunately, most cars won’t sustain permanent damage to the electronics if this nightmare situation occurs.
However, the sudden surge will likely cause the fuses to blow out, so you better hope you have a few spares in the glove box.
However, if you must jumpstart your jet ski in the water, we recommend doing it with another boat rather than another jet ski. Most jet ski batteries don’t have the power to get an effective charge going to jumpstart the PWC.
- If you’re using a boat, there is no need to remove the jet ski from the water when following this procedure.
- Remove the ski from the water if you’re starting it with a car or the cables aren’t long enough to reach the boat.
- The vehicle jumping the jet ski should have an equal or larger amperage than the jet ski battery.
- Do not have the motor running when you’re jumping the ski.
- Keep the jet ski as close to the water as possible to minimize dry running time.
- Don’t let the two vehicles contact each other at any time.
The biggest challenge with water jump starts is finding jumper cables long enough to handle the distance from the vehicle to the jet ski. Also, most boaters don’t carry jumper cables in the first place.
When hooking up the jumper cables, remember to connect the red-colored handle to the positive terminal on the battery and the black handle to the negative terminal.
Don’t let the connections on the ends of the jumper cables come into contact. If they do, you can expect a sarks show, and there’s a risk of damaging the battery.
After hooking u the connectors to the car battery, lace the red cable connector on the positive terminal on the jet ski battery. Connect the black handle to a metal fixture on the jet ski to ground it. It must be a metal part of the ski, such as the engine bolt.
After connecting, try to start the jet ski.
Using a Free-Standing Battery to Jump Start Your Jet Ski
We recommend using a free-standing battery to try and jumpstart the PWC. It’s a much better protocol than using your car. A free-standing battery is easy to move around, and you can take it onto the water to start the PWC.
Since no vehicle is attached to the battery, it’s easier to handle, and you don’t have to worry about a dry start. Connect the battery using the jumper cables and the procedure outlined above for connecting to a car battery.
After starting the ski, let it run for a few minutes with the battery attached. This allows the battery to charge a bit before disconnecting the cables.
What Is the Best Practice for Jump Starting a Jet Ski?
As mentioned, we don’t recommend you jumpstart the jet ski. To us, it’s not worth the risk. It’s better to either bite the bullet and buy a new battery or send it in for charging.
If you’re strapped for time and the morning is running away, buy another battery and leave your old one there with the dealer or battery center to charge.
Pick it up when you come back that way, and you’ll have a spare battery you can keep for these types of emergencies. Plus, you get to go back to the ski, install the new battery and get a late start on that fishing trip.
However, every PWC owner should have a battery charger at home. They are inexpensive pieces of equipment, and they ensure you always have a solution available for your flat battery.
Using a Battery Booster to Jump Start Your Jet Ski
A battery booster is a safe way to jumpstart your jet ski. However, it’s important to note that even this method can have unwanted results on some occasions. If there’s a fault with the booster pack, it could end up frying the PWC’s electronics.
Ensure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions for using the booster, and ensure it has a full charge before attempting the jump start. To keep your battery booster in top condition, we recommend charging it at least once a month.
However, if it’s not fully charged, you can connect it to a 12-volt outlet in someone’s car and charge it before jumping the PWC. When you’re ready to go, use the same procedure as jumping with the standalone battery or the vehicle.
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Battery Chargers
If you have a flat battery, you can hook it up to a battery to charge. Depending on the battery’s state, it could take anywhere from 12 to 24-hours to charge the battery properly.
You can’t jumpstart a jet ski with a battery charger, but you can use it to charge your battery the night before you head out for the trip.
A trickle charger will keep the battery topped up and ready to go, regardless of how long you have between trips.
Smart Battery Chargers
A smart charger is the best option for recharging a flat PWC battery. These chargers are faster than conventional chargers, and you can expect to have your battery ready to go in two to four hours.
The charger charges the battery and switches itself off when the battery reaches full capacity. As a result, there is no risk of overcharging the battery. That feature is important because it means you won’t burn the house down while charging the battery overnight.
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When Do I Replace the Battery?
Eventually, every battery fails. If the battery continues to go flat between charges, it means it’s faulty or reached the end of its service life and needs replacement.
Several aftermarket batteries are available that can upgrade your electrical system and prevent the battery from going flat in the future.
Most PWC batteries are woefully underpowered. So, consider installing a dual battery pack to give you peace of mind against future dead battery scenarios. It’s an affordable upgrade, and most skis have more than enough space to accommodate the additional battery.
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Shop around when searching for a new battery pack. The cheaper option will be to go for a lead-acid battery. They are less than half the price of a lithium-ion model. However, we recommend going with the Li-ion battery pack. You get a longer service life and a better charge, offering your PWC better performance and easier starts.
You might have to pay a bit more for the lithium-ion battery, but it’s worth the extra money.
Is It Safe to Jump Start My Jet Ski? – Key Takeaways
So, the key takeaway here is that you can’t use a car or another PWC to jumpstart your jet ski unless it’s an emergency.
- Even if you do have another ski available, it might damage the watercraft’s electrical system.
- If you’re going to jumpstart on the water, do it with a boat rather than a jet ski.
- Be careful connecting the jumper cables and remember the connections.
- The red cable goes from the positive terminal on the battery to the other positive terminal on the jet ski battery.
- The black cable goes from the negative terminal to a metal point on the jet ski, like the engine bolt.
- Don’t leave the engine running in the vehicle when jumping the jet ski. Jumping the PWC with the vehicle’s engine running may result in the battery exploding.
- If the start button doesn’t start the ski after connecting the cables, you’re probably dealing with another issue causing the failed start.
- Remove the jumper cables from the donor vehicle first and then from the jet ski. Removing the jet skis connections first will result in sparking. If fuel fumes are in the air, it could start a fire. Make sure you have a fire extinguisher on hand if something goes wrong.
- Instead of using the car, use a battery booster to jumpstart the jet ski. If you don’t have that, the
- The next best option is the standalone battery pack.
The best way to avoid the drama of a failed battery and the need for a jump start is to keep your battery charged at all times. Buy a smart charger for your home and use it to keep your battery topped up.
A trickle charger will turn off by itself and always keep the battery at full charge. It’s an inexpensive piece of equipment and a must-have item for PWC owners.
